Stages of certification of the organization's personnel. Personnel certification - types and procedure

Personnel certification is a common personnel event. The purpose of its implementation can be both to establish the compliance of employees with the requirements that are put forward for the positions they occupy, and to redistribute labor resources and compile a personnel reserve. In order for the certification and assessment of personnel to take place without problems from the legal side, you need to understand what types of it exist and what is the procedure for carrying out the procedure in question.

Types of personnel certification

Certification of personnel in an organization is an event that can serve many purposes. The results of such an assessment can become a legal basis for:

• transfer of a worker to another position
• employee promotion up the career ladder
• incentive payments
• awards for particularly experienced colleagues
• setting wage levels and so on

Conducting personnel certification is necessary if the head of an enterprise wants to increase overall production productivity and improve a person’s involvement in his work activities through economic incentives and awards.

Personnel certification can be used not only to involve employees in work activities. It can also be used to determine the workload of personnel and find ways to improve the use of economic resources of the enterprise.

In modern labor law, the following main types of personnel certification are distinguished:

Certification can be carried out in any structural unit of the organization; the legislation does not set any restrictions in this matter.

Other aspects of the personnel event also depend on the head of the enterprise. It defines:

• List of jobs for which employees will be certified.
• The timing of when it should be carried out and when employees are required to collect all the necessary documents.
• The procedure by which certification will take place.

Personnel certification methods

At the moment, there are many methods of personnel assessment in labor activity. The personnel certification system used at enterprises depends only on the decision of its manager. But all of them, in fact, represent only modified types of the four main methods for checking the qualities of personnel.

Each of the methods is used depending on what goals the manager sets before certification. The choice of system is also influenced by the organizational structure of the enterprise, personnel policies and other internal factors.

Procedure for personnel certification

In general, certification and assessment of enterprise employees is carried out in several stages. The first is the preparatory period, the second is the certification itself, the third is the final stage and results.

The preparatory stage is carried out by the personnel department of the enterprise, and it includes:

• Development of basic principles for conducting certification. At the same stage, HR specialists consider methods for evaluating the company’s employees.
• At the preparatory stage, the manager is obliged to approve and issue the necessary regulatory documents. The list of required papers includes an order for the preparation and conduct of certification, the approved composition of the certification commission, a method for assessing the personnel of the enterprise, instructions on how to store personal data obtained during certification.
• The manager and the employees appointed by him are engaged in preparing special events that are needed to conduct personnel assessments. This is an important point if the selected certification methodology is used at the enterprise for the first time.
• Preparation of the necessary papers for certification - special forms, forms.

The next stage is certification at the enterprise. This step includes:

• All employees who undergo certification must, using the structure prepared by HR officers, prepare work reports.
• Workers undergoing certification fill out special forms necessary for grading.
• The results collected during the assessment process are analyzed by the commission and other employees designated by the manager.
• A special commission meets, where its members review the collected data and make decisions.

The last stage of certification is final. During it, not only the collected data is evaluated, but also the results obtained are approved. It includes:

• Analysis of personal data collected during certification about each employee.
• Drawing up and approving recommendations for the use of labor and economic resources of the enterprise.
• Coordination and approval of certification results by all members of the commission.
• Bringing information to the attention of the manager and the employees being certified.

The results of employee assessments can result in a variety of recommendations. For example, personnel training and certification can take place one after the other. This is because one of the recommendations may be to send a certain group of employees for additional training - so that they can better perform their duties or have the opportunity to advance in their careers.

The collection of data obtained during certification, as well as their processing, is carried out immediately after the assessment is completed. This procedure is necessary in order to perform the following actions:

Also, based on the results of certification, specialists can conduct additional interviews. They are especially common if the purpose of the assessment is to test employees who have just completed their probationary period.

Particular attention is paid to organizing the storage of certification data. In order for the obtained personnel information to be used effectively when making important decisions, it is necessary to organize the storage of testing data. The manager and specialists must independently come up with a special form for entering and storing information.

The body that makes recommendations on which employees need to be promoted or encouraged is the certification commission. The conclusions drawn by its members will be used by the organization in the future if there is a need to develop a personnel policy, as well as when forming a service involved in personnel management.

The main characteristics that are most often paid attention to when conducting personnel assessments are:

• How the employee complies with labor discipline and work routine specified in the employment contract;
• Does the employee show independence when he needs to solve assigned tasks;
• Does the employee have a desire to develop professional skills and qualities that will help improve work efficiency;

The manager is also obliged to take into account the weight of the assessments made by the commission and the conclusions made by it. This is necessary in order to get rid of subjectivity in the decisions made by HR specialists.

After the certification is completed and the commission has provided the manager with its recommendations, the manager must take certain actions. For example, to encourage or, conversely, to punish the offender. The optimal period for such actions is two months from the end of the assessment of the organization’s personnel. The manager has the right, based on the recommendations of the certification commission, to transfer an employee from one position to another. This is possible if the employee has shown that he does not meet the requirements set at his workplace. But this is only possible if the test taker himself has given his full consent.

What to do if an employee does not agree with the results of personnel certification

If the employee does not agree to transfer to the positions offered to him, and the manager no longer has available vacancies, then the employment contract may be terminated. This is done in accordance with the standards put forward in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

If the manager decides to make personnel changes after the two-month period for certification has expired, then it will no longer be possible to transfer the employee to another vacancy or terminate the contract with him.

If an employee, dissatisfied with the changes that have occurred as a result of the assessment and certification, decides to turn to the law, then this is only possible in compliance with the standards established in the Labor Code. Initially, the employee has the right to initiate a labor dispute, as specified in Chapter. 60 Labor Code of the Russian Federation. If at the end of the labor dispute the parties have not reached an agreement, the employee can go to court. In addition, an employee can undergo an independent qualification assessment at a specialized center if he does not agree with the decision of the certification commission at the enterprise.

And personnel certifications. Today it is difficult to imagine an effective model of personnel management without the institution of certification.

Personnel certification— personnel activities designed to assess the compliance of the level of labor, qualities and potential of the individual with the requirements of the activities performed.

Main purpose (task) of certification- identify the potential capabilities of an employee (person) and, if necessary, send for additional training, as well as financially encourage and motivate the most competent and experienced.

Personnel certification serves as the legal basis for transfers, promotions, awards, salary determination, as well as demotions and dismissals. Certification is aimed at improving the quality of personnel, determining the degree of workload of workers and their use in their specialty, improving the style and methods of personnel management. She
aims to find reserves for growth, increase productivity and employee interest in the results of his work and the entire organization, the most optimal use of economic incentives and social guarantees, as well as creating conditions for more dynamic and comprehensive development of the individual.

There are four types of employee certification:

1. Another certification is mandatory for everyone and is held at least once every two years for management personnel and at least once every three years for specialists and other employees.

2. Certification after the probationary period is carried out in order to develop reasonable recommendations for the use of a certified employee based on the results of his labor adaptation in a new workplace.

3. Purpose promotion certification is to identify the potential capabilities of the employee and the level of his professional training to occupy a higher position, taking into account the requirements of the new workplace and new responsibilities.

4. Certification upon transfer to another structural unit necessary in cases where there is a significant change in job responsibilities and requirements imposed by the new workplace.

Certification is carried out in all departments of the organization. The list of positions subject to certification and the timing of its implementation are established by the head of the organization.

Certification methods

There are many different certification methods, but in practice they are mainly different variations of the following methods:

• Ranging, within which it is required to place subordinates in order depending on their merits (achievements), and, as a rule, according to their actual ability to perform the job, although sometimes the ranking is carried out according to several selected characteristics.
• Classification, in which employees are classified into several predetermined categories of achievement (merit) based on the overall performance of the employees. As a rule, there are five of these categories.
• Grading scale— the most commonly used certification method. It is based on a list of personal characteristics or factors, against each of which a scale consisting, as a rule, of five points is placed, and the manager (supervisor) notes on the scale to what extent a particular factor or characteristic is inherent in the employee.
• Open assessment method is a relatively recent innovation that was introduced due to the unsatisfactory design of the rating scale. Instead of forcing a manager to evaluate a range of personal characteristics that may not necessarily be appropriate for performance appraisals, the new method focuses on the nature of the job being performed, requiring the manager to speak only a few sentences about the employee being assessed instead of checking boxes in columns.

Stages of certification

Certification is carried out in several stages: preparation, certification itself and summing up.

Preparation, carried out by the personnel service includes:

• development of principles and methodology for certification;
• publication of regulatory documents on the preparation and conduct of certification (order, list of the certification commission, certification methodology, certification plan, management training program, instructions for storing personal information);
• preparation of a special program to prepare for certification activities (when conducting certification for the first time using a new methodology);
• preparation of certification materials (blanks, forms, etc.).

Carrying out certification:

• Certified persons and managers independently (according to the structure developed by the personnel service) prepare reports;
• those being certified and not only managers, but also employees and colleagues fill out assessment forms;
• the results are analyzed;
• Meetings of the certification commission are held.

Summing up the certification results:

• analysis of personnel information, input and organization of use of personal information;
• preparation of recommendations for working with personnel;
• approval of certification results.

Analysis of certification results:

Job evaluation:

• identifying workers who do not meet labor standards;
• identifying workers who meet labor standards;
• identification of workers who significantly exceed labor standards.

Personel assessment:

• diagnostics of the level of development of professionally important qualities;
• comparison of individual results with standard job requirements (by level and specificity of positions);
• identifying employees with qualities that deviate from standards;
• assessment of prospects for effective activities;
• growth assessment;
• rotations.

Data collection and processing, As a rule, they are carried out upon completion of certification. To summarize

• Comparative tables of employee performance are compiled;
• risk groups are identified (inefficient workers or workers with a suboptimal level of development of professionally important qualities);
• growth groups are identified (workers oriented and capable of development and professional performance);
• Recommendations on the use of certification data are being prepared.

Conducting interviews based on certification results. In addition to feedback from the person being certified, during the conversation, data is clarified and additional personnel information is collected. Then new and updated data are entered into generalized forms and analyzed.

Organization of data storage. In order for personnel information to be used when making personnel and other decisions, it is necessary to properly organize the storage of information based on certification results. It is necessary to develop a special form for entering and storing information (by personalities, departments, hierarchy levels, areas of activity of departments). It is also necessary to be able to search for information both on these parameters and on the parameters of the quality and quantity of labor.

At the decision-making stage Particular attention is paid to compliance by those being certified with labor discipline, the manifestation of independence in solving assigned tasks, the desire for self-improvement, and the professional suitability of the employee.

The certification commission makes recommendations for the promotion of the certified person to a higher position, rewards for achieved successes, an increase in wages, transfer to another job, dismissal from a position, etc. The conclusions and recommendations of the certification commission are used in the future to formulate the personnel policy of the administration of the organization and service personnel management.

To socially protect those being certified from the subjectivity of the certification commission’s conclusions, the weight of the assessments and conclusions that are given to the employee is taken into account.

The head of the organization, taking into account the recommendations of the certification commissions, encourages employees in the prescribed manner. Within a period of no more than two months from the date of certification, he may decide to transfer an employee who, based on the results of certification, is recognized as not corresponding to the position held, to another job with his consent. If this is not possible, the head of the organization may, within the same period, in accordance with the established procedure, terminate the contract with the employee in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

After the expiration of the specified period, transfer of the employee to another job or termination of the employment contract with him based on the results of this certification is not allowed.

Labor disputes regarding the dismissal and reinstatement of an employee who, based on the results of certification, are recognized as not corresponding to the position held, are considered in accordance with the current legislation on labor disputes.

Among all the ways to identify the level of qualifications, motivation and suitability of your employees for their positions, personnel certification is the best. It is with the help of certification that one can really obtain information and learn about unrealized opportunities and abilities of employees. Thanks to this, it is possible to improve the quality of activity of both an individual specialist in particular and the entire enterprise as a whole.

Personnel assessment and certification: what is the difference

Unfortunately, management often does not share such concepts as personnel assessment and certification. However, there are differences, and the most significant of them relate to the regulatory framework governing these processes. Employee performance is assessed through local regulations of the organization itself. The rules for conducting certification are contained in state regulations and the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

Another difference is the possible consequences of the process for personnel and the company. When evaluating an employee’s performance, management does not have the right to apply any punitive measures (for example, salary reduction, etc.). Such measures can only be taken as a result of unsatisfactory certification results. However, if a specialist has complaints about the actions of his superiors based on the results of a job evaluation and files a lawsuit, then the company will face inevitable difficulties.

At the same time, the target area of ​​the personnel performance assessment process is much larger than certification, the main purpose of which is to determine how suitable a particular person is for the position held at the time of verification. It is important to note that during certification only existing professional qualities are taken into account, and untapped potential does not play a role.

Management analyzes the employee’s potential, coupled with determining the prospects for his career advancement, as part of the assessment of the work of its specialists. In addition, during the assessment the same tasks are solved as during certification.

During any of the indicated processes, it is very important to maintain accuracy in terminology, because an incorrectly applied concept will overnight change their essence, target orientation and significance of the results obtained. Also, when determining the process to be carried out, it is important to take into account possible negative consequences in the form of filing a claim by an employee dissatisfied with the results of the inspection.

Main goals of personnel certification

Main	Additional	Are common	Specific
Evaluation of employee performance. Determining the suitability of a specialist for the position he occupies. Identification of weaknesses in professional training. Development of a program for further employee development.	Determining the level of employee compliance with teamwork. Detection of incentives available to a person to perform his duties. Identification of areas for further professional growth of the employee.	Improving the HR service system. Strengthening the level of responsibility and labor discipline.	Compiling a list of employees and vacancies subject to reduction and abolition. Optimization of the microclimate in the company's team.

How to use the matrix to find talent among your employees

To find talented employees for key positions in your company, create a talent matrix prepared by the editors of the General Director magazine.

Types and types of personnel certification

The next certification applies to all levels of the organization’s personnel, however, for the administration it is carried out at least once every two years, and for other employees - at least once every three years.

Certification after the expiration of the probationary period is necessary to obtain an up-to-date conclusion regarding the further appointment of a newly admitted employee based on the results of an analysis of his initial activities.

The objectives of certification during career advancement are to determine professional prospects, knowledge, skills and abilities for assigning an employee to a new position, taking into account the requirements.

Certification upon transfer to another structural unit takes place when an employee is transferred to another position with fundamental differences in functionality and required professional qualities.

• Corporate training system that encourages staff to pursue career and professional growth

For whom certification is mandatory, and which personnel should not be involved in it?

According to the personnel certification rules, the following must be checked:

• civil government employees;
• municipal employees;
• railway workers;
• employees of the electric power industry;
• persons responsible for the safety of navigation;
• aviation employees;
• teachers;
• people whose place of work involves production, and the conditions are recognized as dangerous;
• representatives of library science;
• administrative level of unitary enterprises;
• employees working with radioactive radiation;
• employees of enterprises for the destruction and storage of chemical weapons.

The following persons are not certified:

• pregnant women;
• employees who have worked for the company for less than a year;
• employees with young children;
• personnel working part-time and on fixed-term contracts (in specified cases);
• employees over 60 years of age.

Personnel certification deadlines

Thriving organizations, as a rule, strive to conduct the personnel certification process annually, and sometimes more often, but according to a simplified scheme.

In some cases, the certification system involves conducting non-standard interviews with employees. During such conversations, it is customary to touch upon the topic of work efficiency, which contributes to the implementation of supervisory functions. If the assessment system is at a good level of organization, then such checks can be carried out much more often: once a quarter, month or even once a week. Of course, this will not be a certification in the full sense of the word, but such procedures will provide the necessary statistical data about the work of the enterprise as a whole and each of its employees in particular.

• A personnel assessment system that clearly shows the full development potential of employees

Who conducts personnel certification in the organization

Employee self-assessment

This method of certification can be called empirical; it precedes the conclusion of experts and the administration. In this case, the employee independently analyzes his activities for a designated period of time, gives reasons for his decisions, and builds a projection of his work for the future. Thanks to the implementation of this method, the specialist gets the opportunity to refresh his memory of his functionality, disciplinary requirements from management, as well as make changes to his work and line of behavior.

Information obtained as a result of an employee’s self-assessment helps management make more objective decisions and find the necessary facts to resolve doubts. The main task that this procedure for personnel certification solves is to obtain data for the employee that contributes to his style of business behavior.

Evaluation of an employee by a manager

The most significant part of the certification process is the assessment of the employee by his direct superior. However, in order for administrators to be able to objectively and professionally analyze the activities of their subordinates, it is necessary to prepare them well: instruct, advise, determine the place and time for the inspection. Every qualified manager must be able to properly certify his subordinates.

Based on the results of the interview with the employee, the boss must fill out a special evaluation form, where all the information received must be entered. In the future, such forms help to justify certain actions on the part of the manager in relation to the subordinate (for example, denial of promotion, etc.).

This method of assessment, as a rule, is carried out directly by the boss, but he has the right to seek an expert opinion.

Employee assessment by experts

The help of experts should be sought if the immediate manager for some reason cannot carry out the certification on his own (for example, a specialist with a narrow profile is needed). However, you can only invite as an expert a person who has interacted with the employee being assessed within the enterprise and has an idea of ​​his business behavior.

Of great importance, in addition to direct verification, is the communication of the results obtained to the certified employee, coupled with recommendatory comments. The direct supervisor of the certified employee is responsible for the implementation of these actions.

Personnel certification methods

There are certain methods for certifying enterprise personnel that help to carry out the audit as efficiently as possible and collect data on key points characterizing the activities of employees.

Certification methods can be classified as follows:

• traditional (already proven their effectiveness in practice);
• non-traditional (experimental, recently developed, existing for less than ten years, used abroad, etc.).

However, there is no single certification method that is successful in all cases. Moreover, personnel policy in our country is at a low level of development, the role of systems involved in interaction with personnel is often underestimated, as a result of which work in this direction is carried out by irrelevant algorithms. The most common performance appraisal systems are based on employee assessment by the immediate supervisor and are effective in large companies with a strict structure.

1. Matrix method. Its meaning is simple and consists in a comparative analysis of the qualities present in the employee with those that are necessary for the position he occupies.
2. The standard method differs from the matrix method in that the qualities of the employee are compared with the qualities of advanced personnel in the designated area.
3. System of arbitrary characteristics. The essence of the method is that the employee is assessed by the manager or experts in any form, with the obligatory recording of the achievements and failures of employees in a certain period of time.
4. The method of assessing performance is essentially similar to the system of arbitrary characteristics with the only difference that not only serious mistakes and achievements of a specialist are taken into account, but also all of his activities for a specific period of time.
5. The group discussion method is one of the most popular in our country. Its essence lies in the fact that managers and/or experts conduct an interview with the employee based on the results of their work. This approach helps to identify the most successful and promising team members.
6. Qualification system by order, or rank order method. According to this method, the administrative top creates a rating scale for employees, guided by pre-formulated norms. The ranking positions assigned to employees for all points are subsequently summed up.
7. The target scoring method is based on a pre-prepared point system that is assigned to employees for each success. A conclusion about an employee is made based on the sum of all points received.
8. Free scoring method. As part of this method, the immediate superior or an external expert assigns each employee a certain number of points, and their sum or average score is subsequently calculated.
9. The graphic profile system is based on the principle of constructing graphs, where each coordinate will correspond to the value of the employee’s professional qualities, expressed in points.
10. Testing. Employees are offered pre-prepared test tasks that need to be solved. This method helps to identify the intellectual level of an employee.
11. The method of summed assessments is based on a frequency scale for the manifestation of certain qualities of an employee. Each frequency criterion corresponds to a certain number of points, which are awarded for each frequency level.
12. System of a given grouping. According to this method, all employees are divided into four groups (bad, fair, good and excellent) according to pre-agreed criteria. Subsequently, this makes it possible to replace poor workers with more qualified ones.

An example of personnel certification using the “360 degree” method

Alexander Blank, co-founder of CulinaryOn

In the vast majority of organizations, certification is carried out by the manager and his replacements. However, as a result of this approach, the data obtained are very subjective, and the recommendations addressed to the specialist are one-sided.

As a result, it is extremely difficult for an employee to carry out effective corrective work based on the results of the inspection. This is due to the fact that management often does not have a clear vision of the processes taking place in the team and is not able to make objective conclusions about the quality of activity and business style of each individual specialist.

In this case, the “360 degree” method is very effective, which allows management to look at the state of affairs from a different angle and create a complete picture of what is happening, including in relation to each individual employee.

The essence of the method. The assessment is multi-level: each employee conducts self-analysis, based on the data specified in the work questionnaire, the assessment is carried out by his colleagues, and, finally, the manager gives his conclusion. Thus, the most complete business portrait of each employee is formed.

Advantages. The method has four distinct advantages:

• impartiality (conclusions are drawn on the basis of many independent views);
• ease of use (an assessment form can be developed in any organization);
• economic benefit (no need for additional external experts);
• anonymity regime (nothing prevents employees from expressing their real point of view).

Example. My partner and I had the opportunity to personally experience the effects of the “360 degree” method. Between ourselves, Giulio D'Erme and I believed that I was the stricter leader in the company, while Giulio was softer and more loyal. However, the results of the assessment using the indicated method showed that the team adheres to a polar opinion. This revealed the differences between one-sided self-perception and an objective view from the outside.

What are the stages of personnel certification?

Preparatory. At this stage, personnel certification is prepared: the regulatory framework regulating the inspection is approved, a certification commission is appointed, and information about the upcoming inspection, its duration and specifics is communicated to the team.

Formation of the composition of the certification commission and his statement. The certification commission may include:

• person responsible for personnel management (chairman);
• head of the personnel department (deputy chairman);
• head of the certified department (member);
• Legal Department representative (member);
• Psychological Services Officer (Member).

Basic. At this stage, the commission directly works in the certified departments, studies the effectiveness of each employee, compiles questionnaires, enters the received information into electronic databases and their subsequent analysis.

Final. This stage includes issuing a conclusion based on the results of the audit, including decisions for each individual employee, personnel changes based on the data received, and the reduction of employees who failed the certification.

• How can you fire an employee based on time and attendance data?

Regulations on personnel certification

Labor certification of personnel is carried out on the basis of a purposefully created provision. Moreover, for many positions such provisions are formalized at the legislative level and are mandatory for compliance.

The certification program displayed in the position must include information such as:

• goals and objectives of certification;
• groups of certified employees;
• specific dates for the inspection;
• procedure for personnel certification;
• composition of the certification commission;
• assessment parameters;
• specific deadlines and methods for summing up the certification results.

A similar provision is developed and approved in each organization. On its basis, the professional knowledge, skills and abilities of both management and ordinary employees are checked and assessed. Part 2 of Article 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation states that when drawing up regulations on certification, it is necessary to take into account the interests of the representative body of the company’s employees.

The regulations may indicate the following goals and objectives of the audit:

• creation and implementation of a personnel motivation system that complements the existing salary payment scheme;
• determining the need to improve the level of professional training of employees;
• detection and reduction of employees whose level of professional training does not correspond to their position;
• appointment to higher positions of employees who have successfully passed certification.

The selected goals and objectives of certification directly affect the duration of its implementation. The deadlines must be strictly defined for each of the certified departments. After drawing up the inspection schedule, it is necessary to familiarize employees with it, who must confirm the fact of familiarization with their signature.

Also, the certification provision presupposes the appointment of a specialized commission with a strict distribution of functions between its members (chairman, secretary, trade union representative, external expert, etc.).

7 mistakes when conducting personnel certification

Mistake #1. The goals and objectives of certification are set incorrectly. The most common and serious mistake lies in the incorrect formulation of the goals and objectives of personnel certification. It is necessary to strive to get the maximum benefit from the audit procedure to improve the efficiency of the entire enterprise, and not just get rid of unqualified personnel.

Mistake #2. Low level of employee awareness. If certification has never been carried out in the organization, it should be announced in advance, preferably several months in advance, with explanations about the essence, goals and objectives of the process. This approach will help maintain a favorable psychological atmosphere in the team.

Mistake #3. During certification, compare employees with each other. When conducting analytical and comparative activities, it is worth adhering to the norms accepted in the company and not allowing comparisons between individuals.

Mistake #4. Different approach to people who do the same job. When conducting certification, it is important to use an individual approach to each employee, without applying the same standards to everyone. It is very important to maintain an open mind and therefore rely on the opinions of uninterested people.

Mistake #5. Use a limited range of estimates. The rating scale should have a fairly wide range of criteria. This will help to group employees with similar levels of professional qualities and work performance as objectively as possible. It may be worth turning to the experience of foreign companies, where the rating scale sometimes consists of 100 points. With this approach, a more detailed and comprehensive acquaintance with each employee and his characteristics is possible.

Mistake #6. Have a biased attitude towards some employees. The key to successful and effective certification in a company is strict adherence to the principle of impartiality and objectivity. Measures applied to employees based on the results of certification should be planned only on the basis of conclusions about their actual activities and level of competence.

Mistake #7. During the procedure, suddenly change the requirements. Almost every organization is faced with the fact that the announcement of an upcoming personnel certification is surrounded by rumors that give rise to neuroses and a tense atmosphere in the team, which, of course, one wants to avoid.

The way out of this situation will be a thorough and detailed explanation of the essence of the upcoming procedure. In no case should you suddenly change your requirements, otherwise the degree of loyalty of subordinates to management may significantly decrease.

Personnel certification results

Based on the results of the certification, all employees of the enterprise can be divided into three main categories:

• complying with approved labor standards;
• non-compliant with approved standards;
• seriously exceeding existing criteria.

Based on this data, decisions are subsequently made individually for each employee. Thus, an employee can be promoted, his bonus or salary increased, sent to advanced training courses, or placed on the reserve list of potential managers. If the test results are negative, the employee may be demoted or fired.

Anyone who does not agree with the decision made in his respect has the right to appeal it in the manner prescribed by law.

Subsequently, individual development programs are prepared for each employee, where corrective recommendations are included. Such plans include taking courses, trainings, internships and serious work on self-improvement. At the same time, the motivation system is activated, for example, in the form of indicating prospects for moving up the career ladder.

The existing disadvantages include the tense atmosphere in the team during the certification period, which can be slightly deflated with the correct organization of the process.

The significance of certification lies in the fact that it helps to qualitatively improve the enterprise’s personnel management process and optimize HR policies.

• Labor safety requirements that a manager should know

How is personnel certification carried out abroad?

Foreign companies give various names to personnel certification, for example, “performance assessment”, “seasonal certification of civil servants”, etc. Certification processes include interviews, assessment of achievements, identification of work results over a certain period of time, setting goals and objectives.

During the preparation of personnel certification, great importance is attached to the formation of standards that both managers and ordinary employees must meet. As a rule, the key role in this process is played by charismatic theory, implying that only a person with a specific set of professional and personal qualities can apply for a specific position. This approach, based on a scale of standards, is quite common and in demand abroad.

All aspects of personnel certification in most foreign companies are subject to strict regulation. This applies to both the process of the procedure itself and smaller but significant elements. All steps, methods, and evaluation criteria are clearly spelled out; there are developed recommendations for all pressing issues in this area. Compliance with the prescribed inspection rules is monitored by specialized regulatory authorities.

We can cite the example of certification of civil servants in England. The key and significant element of the verification there is the filling out of a rather large questionnaire form (eight printed pages). The questionnaire contains the following items:

• personal data (name, surname, etc.);
• deciphering the purpose and essence of the work for the last reporting period;
• planning work for the next year;
• proposals for advanced training;
• goals and proposals in the field of office reshuffles;
• feedback from the certified employee on the report drawn up in relation to him and on the expert who compiled this report (the latter is optional);
• detailed consideration and subsequent analysis of personal qualities;
• analysis of existing prospects for career advancement;
• the conclusion of the expert who endorsed the report on the person being inspected;
• conclusion of the employee exercising control functions over the certification process.

Among the most popular certification methods in the United States, it is worth noting the method of assessing civil servants according to 15 key parameters, which combine digital and text scales. Each criterion has five degrees.

First, an employee is assessed on certain parameters by his direct superior, then by a senior manager, and, finally, by a specialized commission. Based on the results of all stages of certification, the final score is determined. The frequency of such inspections is once a year. The employee being certified must sign the papers as a sign of familiarization and agreement with the upcoming inspection.

Due to the fact that existing methods do not fully satisfy the needs of companies, in recent years the search for new ways to check the work of personnel has intensified. At the moment, there are the following development trends non-traditional certification methods:

1. The new methods of certification are based on the idea of ​​a group of employees as a key production unit, as well as the importance of evaluating an employee by his colleagues. In this direction, the method of project temporary groups is popular. Companies that use it in their work carry out certification after the project is closed, abandoning regularity in this matter.
2. When analyzing the activities of an employee and the group of which he is a part, attention is paid to the performance of both the individual department and the entire organization.
3. When assessing the performance of a specialist, not only his level of success at the current moment in time is taken into account, but also his potential.

Gaining increasing popularity psychological methods of employee assessment as one of the types of non-traditional certification methods.

Through training, tests, diagnostics and other techniques, specialists assess the level of compliance of an employee’s personal and professional qualities with established standards. With this approach, the main attention is paid to the employee’s potential and his psychological specificity.

Such certification methods make it possible to obtain the most objective information regarding the professional and personal qualities of the employee being tested. However, they are accompanied by significant financial costs to attract psychological specialists, which may be unprofitable for many small firms. It is this fact that determines the limited scope of use of psychological methods only by large companies.

Also, foreign enterprises widely use practical and predictive assessment methods employees. Their essence lies in the development of specialized programs for analyzing personnel potential using psychological methods, which are traditionally implemented by certification centers.

Unfortunately, despite all their effectiveness, psychological techniques are not without drawbacks: they provide an incomplete picture of the employee’s personality, to obtain more information about the employee it is necessary to use an increasing number of tests, etc. Based on this, we can conclude that simultaneously with psychological methods of personnel certification, it is worth using expert assessment methods. The achievement of maximum results will be indicated by the identity of the data obtained by psychologists and experts.

The main purpose of psychological tests is to make adjustments to the conclusion about the professional and personal qualities of the person being tested, formulated on the basis of practical research methods (in the process of interviewing, analyzing personal data, etc.).

In the leading countries of the world, an algorithm has been adopted in which a company develops a system of standards for employees wishing to undergo certification, after which it places an order for the preparation of tests in a specialized company, sending there all the collected data. One of the largest developers is the Sylvan Prometric organization, which generates tests for enterprises operating in the economic sector. To develop tasks, the company attracts specialist psychologists, logicians, etc. After development, the test goes to the testing center, where the certification applicant can pass it. Information about the results of testing is accumulated in a single database of the development company, Sylvan Prometric, and it is also forwarded to the address of the customer organization. The storage period for such data is 25 years.

Thanks to such a system, it is possible to confirm completion of certification regardless of location, since the qualification obtained meets international standards.

There is a single standard ISO/IEC 17024:2003 “Conformity assessment. General requirements for personnel certification bodies”, which contains all global requirements for companies working with certification systems, describes their structure and management. By and large, an analogy can be drawn between the requirements for employee certification and certification of products or quality management systems. However, some differences are still present.

An example of a current certification system is the interaction between Cisco Systems and Pearson VUE. Cisco Systems orders the development of a certification test from Pearson VUE, which is also conducted on the basis of the latter company. As part of this testing, you can obtain one of five certification levels (Entry, Associate, Professional, Expert, Architect, as well as a separate Specialist certification), the highest of which is Architect (ССАг).

The certification process is traditionally divided into three main stages: preparatory, certification, summing up the results of certification - and contains four key components: an order to conduct certification; review-characteristic; certification sheet; decision of the certification commission.

On preparatory stage the purpose of certification is determined, categories of employees subject to certification are established, criteria and standards for personnel assessment are formed, as well as informing the workforce about the timing, goals, features and procedure for certification.

The preparatory stage includes:

• o issuing an order for certification;
• o creation of a certification commission;
• o development of a schedule for certification;
• o preparation of tools for certification.

Before conducting certification, the head of the organization should issue an appropriate order, which must indicate: the timing and location of the personnel certification; list of employees subject to certification; composition of the certification commission; grounds for certification (if certification is unscheduled); regulations for processing certification results.

The Order also specifies the responsibilities of employees and the deadlines for preparing documents required for certification. Before certification, it is recommended to check whether job descriptions have been drawn up for all positions in the organization, since in their absence, the court may declare the certification results invalid and the subsequent dismissal of the employee illegal.

The schedule for conducting certification should be known to employees in advance; accordingly, all employees should be familiarized in advance with the goals, date and method of certification in order to avoid natural fear and negative attitudes.

The certification schedule is approved by the head of the organization. It states:

• o name of the organization, structural unit in which the employee works;
• o date and time of certification;
• o date of submission of the necessary documents to the certification commission indicating those responsible.

To carry out certification, the head of the organization by order appoints a certification commission and determines its composition. As a rule, the certification commission includes 5-6 people. Personally, its composition includes: deputy director for personnel management - chairman of the commission, members of the commission (management of the departments in which employee certification is carried out, also a lawyer, psychologist). If there is a trade union at the enterprise, its representative must be a member of the commission (Article 82 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). Independent experts can also be included in the certification commission.

The following documents may be provided to the certification commission for each employee being certified:

• o certification sheet with data from previous certifications;
• o review-characteristic.

Attestation sheets are prepared by the secretary of the commission, and reviews and characteristics of those being certified are prepared by their immediate superiors.

The certification sheet contains objective information about the employee: education, work experience in the specialty at the enterprise, position, etc.

There is no unified form of certification sheet, so it can be drawn up on the organization’s general letterhead, in compliance with all the rules. The content and form of the document mainly depends on the purposes of the certification.

The review is drawn up for each employee subject to certification by the head of the relevant structural unit and agreed with the deputy head of the organization responsible for conducting the certification.

The review (characteristic) must contain a complete, comprehensive and objective assessment of the professional, business and personal qualities of the certified employee, and reflect the specific results of his work in this position for the period preceding the certification.

The employee being certified must be familiarized with the review compiled for him at least two weeks before the start of the certification. In case of disagreement with the submitted review, the certified person has the right to declare this and provide the certification commission with additional information about his work activity for the previous period.

Main stage - carrying out certification. The certification commission reviews the documents submitted to it, hears a report about the employee, the successes and shortcomings achieved, and the results of current assessments. The certification commission can base a conclusion about compliance or non-compliance with the position held only on the employee’s knowledge of issues related to his competence (labor function) and, therefore, the position held.

The main document containing information about the progress and results of certification is the minutes of the meeting of the certification commission. It is conducted in accordance with the established procedure by the secretary of the commission.

The minutes of the commission meeting include a brief summary of the person being certified about his work in the position held, the questions asked to him and the answers to them. If testing was carried out, the results must be indicated in the protocol and tests with the responses of the person being certified must be attached.

The protocol must necessarily reflect the assessment of the performance of the person being certified and the voting results, the number of votes “for” and “against” a specific assessment of the work of the person being certified, as well as the recommendations of the certification commission addressed to him.

A properly executed protocol is signed by the chairman and secretary of the certification commission. After they are signed and the protocol is not allowed to make additions or changes.

A meeting of the certification commission is considered valid if at least 2/3 of its members are present.

If the person being certified fails to appear at the meeting of the certification commission, but for good reasons, it is recommended to postpone the consideration of materials until he arrives at the meeting of the commission. If the person being certified fails to appear at a meeting of the certification commission without good reason, the commission may conduct certification in his absence. In this case, all questions of the commission members must be answered by the immediate supervisor of the person being certified.

Based on the results of the certification, for each employee being certified, the certification commission will give one of the following assessments:

• o corresponds to the position held;
• o corresponds to the position held, subject to improvement of work and implementation of the recommendations of the certification commission with re-certification after a specifically established period;
• o does not correspond to the position held. The employee is introduced to the commission’s decision, pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of his work. The commission can make recommendations regarding his promotion (professional growth) or the need for advanced training.

If there is written disagreement of the certified person with the conclusions of the certification, the materials are considered by a special expert commission.

At the end of the certification, the certification commissions sum up the results and submit a report on the work done to the head of the enterprise. A report on the work of the certification commission is prepared by its chairman.

Typically, the report contains the following information:

• o composition of the certification commission;
• o the timing of certification and the dates of meetings of the certification commission;
• o quantitative and qualitative composition of employees who have passed certification;
• o list of employees recommended based on the results of certification for inclusion in the nomination reserve;
• o proposals for the organization and content of training for employees of the organization;
• o recommendations for eliminating problems that reduce the productivity of personnel;
• o recommendations for more complete use of the potential of certified employees;
• o proposals aimed at increasing the efficiency of the certification procedure in the future.

Thus, in accordance with the local regulatory act adopted in the organization on the certification of employees, certification commissions can make one of the following decisions:

• o maintain the terms of the employment contract;
• o maintain the terms of the employment contract and stimulate the employee;
• o maintain the terms of the employment contract with the imposition of an additional obligation on the employee - to eliminate the comments of the certification commission and undergo re-certification within a year from the date of the decision;
• o change the content of the employment contract regarding the employee’s labor function;
• o terminate the employment contract but also. 3 hours 1 tbsp. 81 Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

The final stage- summing up the results of the certification. At this stage, decisions are made on the promotion of employees, sending them to study, moving or dismissing employees who have not passed certification. Upon completion of the certification, all materials are provided to the head of the organization (other authorized person). Based on the decision prepared by the certification commission, the manager issues an order on measures based on the results of the certification. According to the order on measures based on the results of certification, it is necessary to prepare orders for each item: on transfers, incentives and other appointments. The Labor Code does not establish the time period during which, based on the results of certification, the employer has the right to make a decision to continue, change or terminate labor relations with employees.

Information about the results of the certification must be included in the employee’s personal card (unified form Hu T-2).

Hello! In this article we will talk about personnel certification in an organization.

Today you will learn:

1. What is certification called and for what purposes is it carried out;
2. Who needs to be certified and who doesn’t;
3. How to conduct certification correctly

Personnel are the main asset of any organization. Whether the company achieves its goals depends on how well employees do their work.

To ensure that job performance does not decline over time, employees’ knowledge and skills are regularly assessed.

What the code says

The law regulates many provisions for personnel management. Conducting employee certification is no exception. The Labor Code of the Russian Federation says that an employer can part with an employee who is not suitable for his position or has insufficient qualifications.

The rest of the certification mechanism is regulated by other laws and regulations.

Why carry out

Conducting employee certification does not mean at all that those who do not pass it will be fired.

The main purpose of certification — analyze the work, identify which areas are weak, how to eliminate these problems and increase the efficiency of the company.

In addition to these goals, there are additional ones:

• Check how motivated employees are (including for career growth);
• Determine the vector along which the company will develop in the future;
• Increase the level of discipline in the team;
• Check the company's compliance with the corporate culture.

Often such a check reveals that additional specialists are needed on staff, or that it is necessary to organize training courses for existing employees.

As a result, certification can help:

• In identifying personnel problems;
• In revising the level of wages;
• Form a personnel reserve;
• In assessing the performance of the company.

Who is not subject to certification

• Women who are pregnant;
• Persons who have been working in the organization for less than 12 months;
• Persons who have young children;
• Part-time workers and persons who work under fixed-term contracts (in some cases);
• Those workers who have reached the age of sixty.

Who is subject to mandatory verification

• State civil servants;
• Municipal employees;
• Railway workers;
• Electricity industry workers;
• Persons ensuring the safety of navigation;
• Aviation personnel;
• Education workers;
• Those who work at high-risk production facilities;
• Librarians;
• Management team of a unitary enterprise;
• Persons working with ionizing radiation;
• Persons working at enterprises associated with the storage and destruction of chemical weapons.

Terms of employee certification

The standard time frame for certification is once every 3 to 5 years. The regulations on employee certification must specify the frequency of its implementation.

In addition, an extraordinary certification of the employee, as well as early certification, can be carried out.

Certification can last from three months to six months, and employees are notified about it 1 month before the start.

Main types of personnel certification

There are several types of certification.

We will list and give a brief description of the main ones:

1. Next– is mandatory for all employees. Frequency: 1 time every 2 years for senior positions, 1 time every 3 years for others.
2. When moving up the career ladder - reveals how ready an employee is to take a higher position and perform new responsibilities.
3. At the end of the trial period– carried out to find out how the employee adapted to the new place.
4. When moving to another department– carried out in cases where responsibilities change significantly.

Personnel certification is carried out regularly, and the list of positions that need to be certified is compiled by the head of the organization.

Methods of employee certification

There are many certification methods, but in practice only a few are used, since for the most part they are derived from each other.

Classification method.

The selection of employees is carried out according to criteria that are approved in advance. The merits and achievements of everyone when performing work are taken into account.

Ranking method.

It consists of ranking employees according to their merits or abilities to perform a certain job. Although ranking can be carried out according to other criteria.

Rating scale.

This technique is most often used when conducting certification. The basis is a list that lists personality characteristics, and a five-point scale is placed opposite each one. Then the manager, using this scale, notes how each characteristic is inherent in the employees.

Open certification.

The technique is relatively new. It was introduced because the rating scale system was not effective enough. Instead of assigning points, it is enough to use a written or oral description of the employee.

Stages of certification

Before conducting certification, you need to clearly understand what exactly you want to install and check. In addition, if the team is large, it is worth developing a plan that delineates who will be busy with the passage at what time.

We will briefly describe the main stages of this procedure in order to have the most complete understanding of it.

Stage No. 1.

First, you decide which metrics you want to evaluate. Then you decide what methods you will use when checking. Once the technique is chosen, you can test one of the company’s departments or an entire structural unit as an experiment.

The criteria by which the assessment will be carried out are specified in advance.

Stage No. 2.

At this stage, regulatory documentation is published and materials for the procedure are prepared. If the company has not carried out certification before, it is worth issuing an order to conduct it, collecting the necessary materials, questionnaires, employee testing results, etc.

All documentation is provided to the secretary of the certification commission, who draws up evaluation tables.

Stage No. 3.

At this stage, employees fill out reports on the work they have done, and the manager fills out a table indicating various criteria. A rating is given next to each criterion.

Stage No. 4.

The committee discusses each grade given. The ratings are then summed up and compared with the requirements for a particular position. The higher the final score, the higher the position the certified employee can occupy.

Stage No. 5.

This stage is key.

If the employee who is currently being checked is absent from the workplace, it is impossible to determine in absentia how suitable he is for the job.

If the employee knew about the certification and his signature is on the notification, but he ignored its implementation, an act is drawn up indicating that the employee did not pass the certification.

Summing up the results of its work, the commission draws up a report in which it evaluates the professional level of the team. All documentation that the commission has prepared is certified by all members of the commission.

Stage No. 6.

The commission is systematizing the results obtained. Tables are drawn up and recommendations are given to management regarding the implementation of personnel changes.

Stage No. 7.

The entire team must be made aware of the certification results. The manager personally conducts a conversation with those employees whose position in the organization will change.

All results are stored in the personnel service; they can be used to resolve various personnel issues.

In our conversation we often mentioned the term “certification commission”. Therefore, let us clarify who is included in its composition.

Who is on the commission

Its composition can be called standard:

• Chairman and his deputy;
• Secretary;
• Several committee members.

Based on existing judicial practice, it is worth including the chairman of the trade union organization, if one operates at the enterprise, on the commission.

Example. There are known cases where an employee was fired who did not pass the certification by decision of the commission. But at the same time, the chairman of the trade union was not among the commission members. As a result, the court sided with the dismissed employee and reinstated him in his position, and the dismissal was declared illegal.

Forms of certification

To get an effective result, experts recommend using the following forms:

Collegial interview.

The commission reviews all materials and talks with each employee. At the same time, the atmosphere should be calm and friendly, so that the person does not get nervous and can conduct a dialogue with the members of the commission.

It happens that it is difficult for an employee to answer a question; in this case, you should not put pressure and demand a mandatory answer. The commission’s task is to identify the problem, and not to make the employee shake in horror.

Individual interview.

It is most often carried out by the immediate supervisor. He explains to the employee how the certification is carried out, warns about the consequences of failure to appear, and then prepares a review of his work.

Written testing.

In fact, it is considered the most objective form. Questions for employee certification are developed here in accordance with the qualifications and position he occupies.

Initially, the number of correct answers is set, which will indicate that the certification has been passed.

Test questions should be updated over time.

Commission decision

Based on the results of employee certification, the commission can make a decision on the employee’s suitability for the position he occupies, on non-compliance, on transfer to a higher position, on inclusion in the personnel reserve.

The most common mistakes

The main mistake is the incorrect setting of goals and objectives for employee certification. If this procedure is carried out only in order to fire unwanted employees, all the positive aspects of certification are simply crossed out.

Another mistake is the low level of awareness among workers. If certification is carried out for the first time, it is better to warn about it more than one month in advance. It is also recommended to explain to people why this is done and how the procedure occurs. Otherwise, you risk getting a nervous atmosphere in the team, which certainly does not add to the effectiveness of the work.

What other mistakes are made?

Employees are compared to each other.

This will definitely not end well. You need to compare the employee’s activities with the company’s standards, not people.

Different approach to people who do the same job.

Often the requirements for employees with the same responsibilities are different. This is explained both by the personal sympathies of management and by good intentions: different people can do the same job in different ways. The main thing is to never lose objectivity. Therefore, it is better to include in the commission people with an unbiased point of view, those who are not interested in this or that certification result.

Use of a limited range of estimates.

If you operate only with “bad-good” criteria, it is impossible to make an objective assessment of an employee’s performance. It will not be possible to divide employees into equally professional and equally unprofessional. This is a dead-end approach.

It is necessary to evaluate using a wider range of criteria. In some European countries, the employee performance rating scale consists of 100 points. This allows you to make the most informed decision.

Prejudice.

Agree that often in a team there are certain stereotypes in relation to any person. But it is much worse when one of the commission members demonstrates his bias.

The approach must be appropriate, and decisions must be made based on their professional standards, not personal assessments.

During the procedure, requirements suddenly change.

Although people are warned about the check in advance, rumors still cannot be avoided. Every time certification is mentioned, people become nervous, lose their ability to work, and, in addition, begin to conflict with each other.

Don't escalate the situation. Explain everything to your employees in detail and objectively. Don't yank them, don't change requirements suddenly. Otherwise, people will think that everything is being done purposefully so that they will perform worse.

It is unlikely that after such stress the authorities will be treated with respect.

How to carry out certification not only correctly, but also effectively, we will discuss further.

When the commission's actions are unlawful

Some managers conduct performance appraisals to get rid of a specific employee who has suddenly become objectionable. At the same time, no one will take into account his real results of labor, the goal is .

Every employer must remember that solving a problem with a subjective attitude towards a person in this way is illegal.

Another variant of unlawful behavior is this: shortly before the procedure, the employee is given a task that he will not be able to complete, because it is impossible to do initially, since it does not correspond to the employee’s qualifications.

To prevent such violations, commission members must make sure that employees can actually complete the assigned task.

There are other types of violations, if identified, the certification results can be challenged:

• Violation of deadlines;
• The deadlines for notifying employees about certification are violated;
• The employee was not familiar with the results;
• An employee belonging to the category of persons not subject to certification was checked;
• The order of the procedure itself was violated;
• The commission did not include specialists from the industry in which the company operates.

Based on the practice of the courts, we can say that a “fictitious” certification will not allow an unscrupulous manager to get rid of an annoying employee. The requirements of the law must be followed.

Include specialists in different fields in the commission so that the procedure goes better.

Example. Personnel certification was carried out at company R. Based on its results, it was decided to transfer legal adviser A. to a position that is paid lower. Disagreeing with this decision, A. wrote a statement addressed to the head of the company, in which he indicated that there was not a single lawyer on the certification commission. Consequently, the decision to transfer was made by incompetent people.

The head of the company, having read all the materials, considered A.’s arguments justified and the employee continued to work in his previous position.

Despite the fact that the law stipulates cases when the procedure can be carried out without the presence of an employee, it is better not to do this. Thus, the risk of a conflict situation will be reduced, and it will also be possible to avoid challenging the results and litigation.

If you are interested in truly high-quality results, entrust the procedure to professionals. We'll tell you briefly where to go.

No.	Company	Characteristic
1	Hermes	The company has been operating for more than 5 years. The company provides legal support for the certification process and more. The company cooperates with any region of the Russian Federation
2	There are stills!	A company with 11 years of experience. Its offices are in several cities. When certifying, the company’s specialists use not only the most well-known methods, but also proprietary ones.
3	HR Practice	This company is an old-timer, it is more than 20 years old. The main office is in St. Petersburg, but cooperation is possible with any region, as well as with other countries. Services are also provided remotely

Conclusion

So, now we have talked about the most important points regarding personnel certification. If the procedure was carried out in full compliance with the requirements of the law, it will allow making the necessary personnel decisions, enlisting the support of the law, dismissing or demoting an employee.

I would also like to wish that only talented, highly qualified employees work in any company and there is no need to fire anyone or transfer them to low-paid jobs.